Lupinus excubitus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lupinus excubitus |
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Lupinus
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excubitus
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The grape soda lupine (scientific name: Lupinus excubitus) is a special kind of lupine plant. It gets its fun name because it smells sweet, a lot like grape soda! You can find this plant and its different types in the Southwestern United States. It grows in places like California and Nevada, including famous spots such as Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Park. It also grows in northwestern Mexico.
What Does the Grape Soda Lupine Look Like?
The grape soda lupine is a small shrub. It has leaves that are a gray-green color. These leaves are shaped like a fan. They grow on the stem and sometimes gather at the bottom of the plant.
Most of the leaves have shiny, silver-colored hairs. Each leaf is made up of 7 to 10 smaller, narrow leaflets. These leaflets can be from 5 to 50 millimeters long.
Flowers and Fruit
The flowers of the grape soda lupine grow on a tall stalk. This stalk is called a raceme inflorescence. The flowers are a deep purple color. Each purple flower has a bright yellow spot. Sometimes, you might find a grape soda lupine with white flowers instead.
After the flowers bloom, the plant produces fruit. This fruit is a soft, silky pod. It can grow up to 5 centimeters long. Inside the pod, you will find brown seeds with spots.
Different Types of Grape Soda Lupine
There are several different types, or variants, of the grape soda lupine. Each one has a slightly different name:
- L. e. var. austromontanus - This is known as the southern mountain lupine.
- L. e. var. excubitus - This is the main grape soda lupine, also called Inyo bush lupine.
- L. e. var. hallii - This type is called Hall's bush lupine.
- L. e. var. johnstonii - This variant is known as the interior bush lupine.
- L. e. var. medius - This type is called Mountain Springs bush lupine or Colorado bush lupine.
